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Tuesday


Image from goodreads.com

Wiesner’s nearly wordless tale begins with a disclaimer on the book jacket that “the events recorded here are verified by an undisclosed source to have happened somewhere, U.S.A., on Tuesday. All those in doubt are reminded that there is always another Tuesday.” An establishing scene prior to the title page depicts three frames in which frogs placidly enjoying their lily pads find themselves, surprisingly, beginning to levitate. Following the title page is a formal text arrangement that belies the surreality of this enchanting tale. Three large panels appear on the recto, zooming in on a turtle in a body of water being startled by the frogs who are happily flying overhead like UFOs. They continue their adventure throughout the night startling beast and man alike as they traverse alternations of double-page, full-bleed spreads that contain vignettes which highlight the antics of individual frogs; double-page spreads within frames; single-page spreads within frames; and framed panels. Alternations between pages’ arrangement seem to be as irreverent and inexplicable as the frogs’ adventure itself. The deep nighttime palette is rich in blues, and naturally, greens. Action proceeds principally from left to right, as if encouraging page-turns, capitalizing on the book’s landscape orientation. Wiesner’s primary guiding principle seems to be that of aesthetic delight and balance, optimizing the narrative’s inherent sense of motion. The story’s momentum is slowed three distinct times by an austere white page that announces the passage of time as the night progresses; similarly, the book concludes with one last announcement that the story continues the following Tuesday, depicting pigs in their own flight.

  • Tuesday by David Wiesner; illus. by the author
  • All Clarion
  • 32 pp.
  • Published 1999
  • ISBN 978-0780784352
  • $17.00
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